Army Training
by JinxWriter
Summary: AU. Ronin takes his son for a day of training with the leaf soldiers. New bonus chapter added!
1. Chapter 1

Army Training

"Hyah, hyah! Take that, Boggan!" The little five-year-old in play armor said. He was running around his room, waving a sword made out of tree bark. His name was Lucius, with short light brown hair, light tan skin, and bright light brownish-blueish eyes. He waved his sword around like a real weapon as he stabbed his stuff animals all around him, throwing them to the ground and pounding them with his fists. Suddenly his play time was interrupted when there was a knock. Lucius saw his father, Ronin, and eyed him.

"Son, what did I tell you about throwing your toys around? Your going to ruin them," Ronin said.

"Boggan," Lucius said.

"Boggan?" Ronin asked.

"You're dead meat, Boggan! I'm Lucius, champion of the leafmen!" Lucius said raising his sword. He ran at his dad with his play sword pointed and Ronin looked terrified, well not really. "Oh no! Stay away from me!" Ronin said, running around his son's room.

"Get back here, Boggan! No one can escape me!" said Lucius.

"Oh really? Well how's this for size?!" Ronin asked. Lucius gasped and started running as Ronin started to chase him with arms wide open. Suddenly, Ronin snatched the boy in his arms and started to toy with him. "Now you're done for, leafman!" Ronin said, twirling his son in his arms.

"Ok, I give in!" Lucius said, laughing.

"It doesn't work like that! Come here!" said Ronin. He started to tickle his son, making him laugh even harder. Before the little boy knew it, Ronin fell to the ground with him still in his arms, giving him a noogie. Lucius laughed as Ronin continued to tickle and rub his scalp. Suddenly, their fun time was interrupted when they heard the clear of a throat. Turning around, Lucius and Ronin saw Queen Tara with arms crossed and a curious look on her face.

"What are my two generals doing? Shouldn't daddy be at dinner now?" asked Queen Tara.

"Look, son. There's another Boggan there. I think we need to take her down," Ronin looked at Lucius.

"Take down mommy!" Lucius ordered. They both charged at Queen Tara, who looked on with surprise. Ronin cornered Queen Tara, who was laughing and protesting. "Ronin, don't you dare!" Queen Tara ordered, but Ronin swept the queen in his arms and spun her around, while Lucius was jumping with his sword in the air.

"Ronin, put me down!" Queen Tara laughed.

"Now son! Take her out!" Ronin ordered. He plopped Queen Tara down on the bed while Lucius climbed up on the bed, pointing his wooden sword at her face. "You're mine, mommy!" Lucius said.

"Ok, you got me…but I've got you!" Queen Tara hopped up and picked up Lucius, spinning him around in her arms. Lucius started laughing as his mom threw him lightly in the air. Ronin joined in the fun and threw him up in the air a couple of times, making it look like he was flying. Lucius continued laughing as his parents finally decided to let him go.

"Dinner's ready, you two," Queen Tara said. Ronin and Lucius looked at each other as they followed Tara out of the room, with dinner awaiting them.

* * *

Ronin and Tara ate together side-by-side while Lucius decided to use his utensils as toys. He playfully stuck his fork in the mashed up berries and stabbed at them like they were the enemy. Then he scooped them up and stuffed them in his mouth and swallowed. Queen Tara and Ronin smiled at him as he continued to play with his food.

"Lucius, the food's for eating, not playing," Ronin informed him.

"Ah, but I was destroying Boggans," Lucius said with a frown.

"Sweetie, you can focus on that later. Eat your food," Queen Tara said. Lucius sighed and stuck his fork back in the berries, taking a bite. "Hey, mommy! Do you think I could help daddy with army training tomorrow?" he asked eagerly.

"Ah, son, it's a huge responsibility," said Ronin.

"Ah c'mon, daddy! Just this once! Please?" Lucius asked, giving his dad the old puppy-eyed face. Ronin stared at his son for a moment and sighed. "Alright," he gave in. Lucius laughed victoriously as he continued to eat food. Queen Tara giggled while Ronin continued to eat peacefully.

* * *

The next day, Ronin and Lucius traveled to the leafman base where soldiers were doing all kinds of exercises. Lucius ran around and saw everything in sight. Ronin tried to keep watch of him but the little boy was running all over the place, looking at weapons and touching shields. Ronin saw his officer who greeted him as he came up.

"Is it bring-your-kid to work day already?" he asked.

"No. My son wanted to help out," Ronin said. He saw Lucius with his favorite toy sword waving at other soldiers, who looked at the little boy with confused looks on their faces. "Face me, Boggan!" Lucius said. Ronin sighed and hurried over and grabbed his hand before he made anymore scenes of any kind. Ronin's officer smirked as he got back to his station to continue sword exercises.

* * *

"Alright, this exercise is simple. All of you will twirl your swords in the air, catch them, and put them back in their holsters! Understand?" Ronin asked a line of soldiers. Lucius watched in amazement as they finished the exercise with swift movements and quickness. Lucius was determined to get the exercises right this time. He looked down at his wooden sword and threw it in the air, making a twirl. Lucius smiled and rose his hands over his head, but all he got was a _bonk _on the head!

"Ow!" Lucius rubbed his aching head. He picked up his sword and tried it again. This time it did not hit him in the head, but it fell on the floor. Lucius grew frustrated and tried it again, but got the same result a second time. "C'mon! Catch it!" Lucius complained. He tried again and again, but got the same results. Ronin watched him with as the scenery started to shift towards his son. Suddenly, Lucius threw it again in the air, this time catching it with the swift move of his arms.

"I did it! I'm a leafman now!" Lucius cheered. Ronin smiled at the sight of his son, but quickly changed his expression back to a serious tone when his officer noticed him.

* * *

Ronin reared his bird and flew straight back towards home. He noticed Lucius was still waving his sword around which was quite distracting in case you are trying to fly a hummingbird. "Son, will you please stop? It's distracting my movements," Ronin said.

"Sorry, daddy," Lucius said, quickly putting his sword away. Ronin smiled and continued to fly his bird.

"Daddy, I have a question. Why are you always strict with your men? Why aren't you treating them like you do me?" Lucius asked.

"Because they're not kids, Lucius. They're soldiers and I have strict rules about training them," said Ronin.

"But you weren't like that with me. Seeing you so serious makes me feel scared sometimes," said Lucius.

"Why, son?" asked Ronin.

"Because you're usually a nice daddy who always has fun with people," said Lucius. Ronin smiled at his son and ruffled a hand through his hair. "I'm only doing my job, son. It's what every sergeant does. They may look like they're mean and tough, but deep down some are nice and caring, and some are just plain mean in general. But it doesn't mean they're like that wherever they go." Ronin explained.

"So you're not always like that?" asked Lucius.

"Only when I have to be, son," said Ronin.

"You were nice to most of them, but when it came to exercises, you grew serious," said Lucius.

"I only got serious because it was an exercise. I'm only hard on people who purposefully slack off and they choose not to do their best. I'm not like that with others who mess up but want to try," Ronin said.

"Did I do good today?" Lucius asked.

"You did, son," said Ronin, ruffling his hand through his hair again.

"Can I come to work with you again, daddy?" Lucius asked with a huge smile on his face. Ronin smiled even wider and nodded. Lucius smiled widely as the hummingbird took them both home, where Queen Tara was waiting. When they landed, Ronin picked up his little boy and carried him on his shoulders, making their way into the home.

Ronin smiled proudly at Lucius, knowing that he would make a fine general one day himself.

* * *

FIN

There ya go! This is AU, but this is what I thought of if Ronin and Tara had a son. I honestly thought Ronin's eyes were green, but then I saw a picture of him and his eyes are light blue. Whoops! Anyways, edited the eyes on the son! :D

If anyone wants to do fanart for this fic, go right ahead. Since it's my second popular Epic fanfic, you can go ahead and draw some fanart. However it must be appropriate and you must notify me if you decide to do a piece. :)

Reviews make my day. If you favorite/follow, I want to hear from you! :)


	2. Chapter 2

Bonus Chapter: Training Gone Wrong

The next day, after Lucius begged him again, Ronin decided to take him back to the base for more training. Since his son wanted to become a leafman like him so much, he thought it would be best to show him that not everything was just about sword fighting and packing punches. The soldiers lined up one-by-one greeting Ronin with a saluting pose.

"Ok, everyone. Listen up! We're going to do some more training exercises, but this time besides your usual activities. Today we're going to train on the back of your birds," Ronin announced. The soldiers all knew what that meant and went to the stables to get their certain birds. Pretty soon a dozen or so colorful hummingbirds stood in a perfect straight line while Ronin's was in front.

"Wow, a bird training exercise! Am I gonna fly a bird?" Lucius asked excitedly.

"Not by yourself, young man," Ronin said. He lead his son over to his bird as Lucius hopped up eagerly in front of the reigns. Ronin took them each in his hands and let out a cry, ordering the troops to fly out. With a swift jerk of the reigns, all of the hummingbirds took off in the sky. Lucius looked over his dad's shoulder and saw all of the soldiers in a triangular arrow-like pattern.

"Awesome! What's gonna happen now, daddy?" the little boy asked.

"Ok, troops! Jerk your birds to the left and right. This is a move where you must dodge hits swiftly and carefully in case of an enemy attack," Ronin said. He jerked the reigns left-and-right and the bird moved with his commands. Lucius saw the other soldiers do it, but not as perfectly as Ronin. Some soldiers bumped into each other, while others either made their birds spin or go front and backwards. However they still managed to stay on their birds without falling off.

"I wanna try, I wanna try!" Lucius said excitedly. He held onto the reigns as Ronin looked down with a shocked expression on his face. "No, Lucius! Don't-" but it was too late. Lucius jerked the reigns and the hummingbird took off with a straight _zoom!_

"WHOAA!" Ronin screamed while Lucius just laughed all the way. The hummingbird flew around in circles, backwards and forwards, side-to-side, and in zigzag motions. The other soldiers flying their birds just watched with wide eyes and opened jaws. Suddenly, their eyes had to dart upwards as the hummingbird twirled around in a spiral shooting high for the clouds.

"Son, let go of the reigns!" Ronin commanded as he held onto the saddle for protection. Lucius was perfectly intact as he continued to play with the reigns. He twirled them in one hand, jerked them side-to-side, up and down, back and forth. He continued to laugh the whole time as his dad was trying to get his hands back in control. Lucius twirled his arms around like two people twirling a jump rope, making the reigns bump into each other. The humming bird flew around like the movements of the jump rope, making Ronin cry out even more.

"_**Enough, Lucius**__!" _Ronin boomed out like thunder. Suddenly, Lucius's laughter died down as his father looked at him with a very angry look on his face, which made him grow afraid. Ronin grabbed the reigns from his hands and finally managed to control his hummingbird. Lucius still remained firmly still as the hummingbird flew back to the troops.

"Please excuse that little distraction. I'm sorry everyone, but I think we need to end training early. I need to take my son home," Ronin said, looking down at Lucius. The little boy did not even dare to look up because he knew what his father would look like.

* * *

Queen Tara was gardening some flowers back at the tree home when Ronin's hummingbird pull up. At first she was delighted to see them, but grew confused when Lucius ran right passed her into the house, shooting right upstairs. Ronin landed the bird and walked over, taking off his helmet and looking at Queen Tara.

"What happened?" Ronin's wife asked.

"It was a complete nightmare! We had the worst day of training," Ronin said, tossing his helmet on a table once entering the tree.

"How was it bad?" Queen Tara asked.

"Lucius ruined one of my training exercises. We were going over bird movements and he piped in. Lucius grabbed the reigns and just went chaotic on the back of my bird!" Ronin explained with a little bit of bitterness in his tone.

"What? I don't know what possessed him to do that," Queen Tara said.

"He said he wanted to try," Ronin answered.

"He was probably just excited by all of the commotion going on. Now Ronin, I'm not saying what he did was right, but Lucius admires your skills a whole lot. He wanted to see if he could get the exercises right," Queen Tara said.

"I'm not upset about the fact that he ruined the training, I was upset that he put himself and me in danger. He was flying the bird like it was a forest war all over again! He was completely chaotic, Tara. It would've taken seconds for me to fall off if it wasn't for the grace of a saddle. Anyways, maybe taking him to training wasn't such a good idea. We have to end this."

Queen Tara was silent there for a moment. She knew that Ronin did have a point, but it also bothered her to face the fact that Lucius would be heartbroken. Little did they both know, Lucius was at the top of the stairs, listening to their conversation the whole time. Looking down at the floor, he dragged his feet upstairs and into his room.

* * *

The next day two of Lucius's friends came over. One of them was the son of two army soldiers, Raymond, while another was a blue Alpine Wildflower Jinn named Flora. The two of them were playing with some of Lucius's stuffed animals in his room while Lucius just sat on his bed, clutching his pillow. His two friends ran over to him laughing.

"C'mon, Lucius. Play with us," Flora said.

"No thanks. I don't wanna," Lucius said.

"What's the matter, Lucius? Why don't you wanna play?" Raymond asked.

"It's my daddy. I did something awful yesterday," Lucius said.

"Did you get paint all over your mommy's dress again?" Flora asked.

"No. I accidentally ruined daddy's training exercise by flying his bird around," Lucius said.

"Really? Was it fun?" Raymond asked excitedly.

"Raymond! Stop it," Flora said. "It shouldn't have been that bad. Did you get hurt?" she asked.

"Daddy said I almost made him fall off," Lucius answered.

"Whoa! That's rough," Raymond said.

"Maybe Ronin's already gotten over it," suggested Flora.

"No way, I know my daddy. I heard him talking to mommy and he's gonna punish me because I flew his bird around. He'll take my toys away and send me to my room every day. I know that he'll do it because he's like that. Not only that he also said he wouldn't take me to any of his training days anymore! I deserve it. I'm a terrible son!" Lucius buried his face in the pillow.

"Don't say that," Flora said.

"You're a good son! A very good son. You just did something that scared him," Raymond said.

"Easy for you to say," said Lucius.

As the three kids continued talking, they were unaware of the fact that someone was listening the whole time. Ronin stood there against the wall with arms crossed, but there was no glare or frown on his face. It was a look of pure guilt. Ronin now started to regret what he said back to Queen Tara, let alone the fact Lucius had overheard their conversation. With a small breath Ronin exited the hallway and walked downstairs without any words.

* * *

The next morning, Lucius was still in his room sitting on his bed. He bounced slightly up-and-down clutching one of his stuffed animals. Suddenly, he heard footsteps outside. "Lucius?" It was Ronin. The boy gulped and had to find a place to hide. He hopped off the bed and started to scurry around. He looked at the closet, but ultimately crossed it off knowing that he would find him quickly. He looked at the bed covers which could easily be pulled off. The toy box? Maybe. Sucking in a deep breath, Lucius headed towards his hiding spot.

Ronin showed up a couple seconds later, looking around for his son. There was no sign of him but he knew that it shouldn't be too hard to find him. Once fully inside the room Ronin walked around looking for Lucius. He opened the closet but all he got was hangers filled with shirts and shoes on the floor. He lifted up the bed covers but there was nothing but sheets and pillows. Next he tried looking underneath the bed, yet nothing remained.

"Son?" Ronin wondered where he could have gotten off too. Suddenly, his eyes darted to the left. There in the corner was a huge toy box. Looking around Ronin walked over slowly and stared at it, shifting his hands towards the lid. With a quick flick of the wrists the lid flung open, but again all he got was stuffed animals, things made out of sticks and leaves, and a play sergeant hat. Sighing, Ronin closed the lid leaving nothing but darkness.

Lucius flung his toys out of the way and peered around in the darkness, seeing the crack of light from outside. He thought he heard his father's footsteps exiting the room, however it was kind of hard to hear when you were underneath a pile of stuff. He pulled his arms free and set them on top of the lid, slightly lifting it up.

"_The coast looks clear. I think I'm ok," _Lucius thought to himself. He opened the lid more and looked around, seeing no Ronin in sight. Wiping his forehead, he crawled his way out, feeling relieved he did not have to see the scary face of his father. He walked over to his bed with a smile on his face and plopped down. "A-ha!" Lucius grew startled as the bed covers flung themselves over and Ronin randomly appeared out of nowhere! Lucius fell backwards onto the floor with a couple of stuffed animals breaking his fall.

Ronin looked down as Lucius flung the toys off him. He looked up at his dad and backed off. "Don't you come near me!" Lucius warned. Ronin sighed and got off the bed, shifting towards his son. "I warn you! I know you'll yell at me!" Lucius continued to warn, but Ronin still did not listen.

"I said I warn you! I know I'm a bad son. Just say it," said Lucius. Ronin stopped and bent down to him, holding out his hand.

"It's ok, Lucius. You don't have to worry," he said. Lucius looked back at his father and saw his hand, reluctantly taking it. Ronin lead him back towards the bed and sat him down on his lap. Ronin looked down at Lucius who clearly had a depressed look on his face.

"Son, we still need to talk about yesterday," said Ronin.

"I already know what you're gonna say. What I did was wrong and you'll never take me to training days again. There, end of discussion!" Lucius said.

"No, I'm afraid it's not. Look, Lucius. I know that you were really excited and all, but what you did was very dangerous. You could've hurt yourself," Ronin said.

"I just wanted to try it out," said Lucius.

"I know, but that's not the point. The point is you put me and yourself in danger and I was terrified. I was afraid that you were going to fall off that bird or cause an accident that I probably would never get over. I wasn't upset that you were flying my bird, I was upset about the fact that you put yourself and me in danger," Ronin explained.

"I'm very sorry, daddy. I swear it'll never ever happen again! I won't go to anymore of your training days," said Lucius. He hopped off the bed and started walking out, however Ronin commanded him to come back. Lucius turned back around and hopped right back on the bed.

"Not so fast, young man. I know I said that we needed to end this, but truthfully I never meant it. I know how much these days mean to you and it made me feel guilty about it all. So you're still allowed to go," said Ronin.

"You listened to me talking, didn't you?" Lucius found out.

"Not the point again! On days like that it's not for playing around, it's time to get serious, son. You can't always run around and play. Sometimes you need to just stay back and let the professionals do their job," said Ronin.

"I get it now. I sure learned my lesson," said Lucius.

"Well I'm afraid it's not done just yet. I am going to have to take some of your toys away for a couple days," Ronin said.

"What? But I thought I learned my lesson!" Lucius said.

"Sometimes a long talk doesn't quite cut it," Ronin said. Lucius pouted and gathered up some of his toys, handing them over to Ronin. Ronin set them on the opposite side of the bed. Lucius sighed and was glad to have it over with finally. Ronin laid back on the bed and Lucius followed him, staring at him fully in the eyes. Ronin smirked and started to roughhouse with him, making Lucius laugh.

"You're not so bad," said Ronin.

"I know! Let's go, great steed! Downstairs we march!" said Lucius. Ronin took him on his shoulders as they marched out of the room and downstairs. Ronin and Lucius laughed all the way down. Father-and-son bonds are meant a thousand words, and this one was surely one of them.

* * *

FIN

Whew, finally done! Here's another chapter. I know this chapter may seem a little harsh, but I assure you that I never mean any of my stories like this to be harsh. Plus wouldn't you react the same way Ronin did? Maybe, maybe not. Anyways, I hope you all enjoyed this little bonus chapter. :)

What did you think? Leave me a review and tell me what you thought! :)


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